They have also claimed that the health and social care secretary and NHS England failed to consult the public on the need for ACOs.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: ‘While we agree with the principle of greater collaboration in the NHS and between health and social care, such transformation plans sit outside of existing legislation and frameworks and risk handing an area’s entire NHS budget to private providers through competitive tendering.’

Dr Nagpaul added that because the contracts are time limited ‘providers would have to re-bid for contracts every 10 years, creating great uncertainty for whole populations of patients’.

He said: ‘We feel the plans as they stand have the potential to have a far-reaching negative impact on patients, doctors and the wider NHS workforce, who must therefore have transparency and clarity – as well as the opportunity to properly consider such changes – something we are not convinced the Government has supplied so far.’

Responding to today's judicial review, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We want to better integrate care so it is co-ordinated around patients and we strongly contest this Judicial Review as an unnecessary use of taxpayers’ money.

'We remain very clear that our actions have been lawful and appropriate, and are committed to being open and transparent with the public, which is why in addition to our consultation on the legislation, NHS England will carry out a new consultation on the ACO contract.'

Readers' comments (2)

'ACO' is a FAKE term isn't it.
These will be less accountable, less caring and disorganised, NOT organised well at all.
So, hey presto! Government and Health ('Keep the patients at arms length') Service name this Accountable Care Organisation so it's less obvious. About time the BMA took a stand to protect everyone.